Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks' future is still up in the air as contract negotiations continue to drag on, according to sources.The quadruple championship winning coach's time with the Thunder could be coming to an end if several media reports are to be believed.Brooks, 49, has been in charge of the Thunder since 2008 and has guided them to a phenomenal four straight titles in the last four seasons.His current contract expires after this season and negotiations have still yet to come up with a new contract that both parties are happy with.Thunder GM Sam Presti and Brooks' agent Warren LeGarie have been talking, but there is apparently still a financial gap between the two parties.Brooks is reportedly demanding $10 per season, believing that his record with the Thunder warrants him being the highest paid coach in the league."Obviously our preference is to keep him with the organisation. He's been a big part of our success and everyone at the club loves him", said Presti."But at the same time we have to do what is best for ourselves financially. We'll put forward an offer we feel is fair and the rest is up to Scott."The stats would suggest that Brooks deserves a pay rise. He's equal fifth in rings won with Gregg Popovich and well on his way to winning another.

It could be a tough off-season for the Thunder as Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose are coming out of contract and neither has committed to re-signing.There have been rumours around that if Durant does collect a fifth ring this season he will move on and attempt to test himself in a big market.Another rumour that has been around since Rose left Chicago to sign for Milwaukee is that he will return to play for the Bulls again one day.

Rumoured potential Durant destinations

BostonPotential $29m cap space.They have Perkins and Bass contracted beyond this season. They can re-sign Rondo and add Durant to create a very good line-up.Durant apparently gre up watching Larry Bird and even modelled his game after him. He may jump at the chance to play with the Celtics.

LA LakersPotential $46m cap space.Brandon Jennings is the only big earner contracted. Like with Boston, the lure of such a historic franchise may be too much for Durant to resist.If they can re-sign Bynum and Cosuins and then add Durant, they will have an amazingly talented frontcourt and a top guard in Jennings.

LA ClippersPotential $7m cap space.In order to get Durant the Clippers would have to dump Mo Williams' contract on draft night. But it would be well worth doing if they can add him.A line-up with Al Horford, Kevin Love, Durant and Eric Gordon would just about be the best in the league. They would be the best team in LA.

WashingtonPotential $45m cap space.All of their big earners are expiring. If they could lure Durant back to his hometown, they can also afford another two superstar max-contracts.If they re-sign Wall, add Durant and sign a star big man like Bynum, Aldridge or Noah, they could become instant championship contenders.

Of course this is all just speculation and neither Durant or Brooks have given any indication that they won't be in Oklahoma City next season.They would be brave men to walk away from a team that is currently on the verge of a fifth straight championship. Very brave indeed.Hopefully the media speculation won't have a negative effect on the Thunder's quest for another championship in the upcoming weeks.They currently lead the Clippers 2-1 in their western conference semi final series. Another finals series against Miami is quite possible.

I'm just keeping my options open. I've pretty much narrowed my choices after this season down to:

-Continue this game with Durant and Rose and go for a (possible) sixth ring like Jordan and the Bulls.-Continue this game but let Durant and Rose go and see how I do with just Griffin, Harden and Hibbert.-Start a new game with replicated rosters and play as a struggling team like Washington and rebuild them.-Buy 2k13 and start a new Thunder association or an association with a struggling team and rebuild them.

But all I'm focused on at the moment is beating the Clippers and trying to get championship #5. I'll have to make a decision after this season is over.

This is a match-up between the defending champions and the surprise team of the playoffs so far. Can Utah's fairytale run continue?On paper this should be an easy series for the Thunder, but the same was said for the Spurs and Blazers. They were both swept by the Jazz.The Jazz haven't had homecourt advantage at any point and now they'll have to win in one of the toughest arenas in the league to advance.

In the past four seasons the Thunder have eliminated the Jazz at the conference semi final stage twice on their way to championships.All three of their superstars are in good form currently. Kevin Durant has continued on the form that saw him win his second scoring title.If Durant wins another championship this season, he will be equal with the likes of Dennis Rodman and Earvin "Magic" Johnson with 5 rings.The 25 year old forward already has 4 rings, 1 MVP award, 3 finals MVP awards, 2 scoring titles and 3 all-star MVP awards to his name.He's also been named defensive player of the year on four occasions and has been the league steals champion for the past five seasons.With Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin alongside him, it's hard to see the Jazz advancing any further. Stranger things have happened though.

This team wasn't even supposed to make the playoffs, after gearing up for a rebuild by acquiring expiring contracts earlier in the season.They've proved all predictions wrong though so far. Veterans Carlos Boozer and Randy Foye have led this team well on and off the court.Channing Frye, Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller were all part of the Miami team that once again lost to the Thunder in the finals last year.The trio will be hoping that past experience will help them pull off a massive upset and lead the Jazz back to the NBA finals after 16 years.The result of this series could affect what happens in the off-season for the Jazz. Boozer, Frye, Chalmers and Hayward are all expiring.If this group are able to bring a championship back to Utah, the Jazz's management hand may decide that it's best to keep them together.

Always the bridesmaid and never the bride. That's how this Miami team have been made to feel over the past four seasons thanks to the Thunder.They are resurgent this year though. Despite being forced to trade Dwyane Wade to the Bulls, they still managed the best record in the league.With a more balanced team than previous years and a few solid options off the bench, the Heat are feeling like this will finally be their year.The frontcourt battle between these two teams promises to be epic. Chandler, Bosh and James vs Randolph, Stoudemire and Anthony.Chandler and Randolph are two extremely energetic defensive powerhouses, whilst LeBron and Melo have been compared to each other for years.The most talked about match-up though is that of Bosh against Stoudemire. Between them they've won 3 of the last 4 regular season MVP awards.They have brought back the golden years of dominant big men with their scoring and rebounding. Outshining their more fancied teammates.Over the past five seasons they have both put up incredible numbers. Bosh (29 points, 13 rebounds) and Stoudemire (30 points, 13 rebounds).These playoffs Bosh is averaging 35 points and 16 rebounds per game, whilst Stoudemire is averaging 38 points and 14 rebounds per game.

Miami have come into this series quite comfortably having only dropped one game so far. Their confidence is the highest it's been in years.They lost Wade midway through the season, but that may have actually improved their team. They added Chandler, Smith and Felton.It made them a very strong defensive team, but also gave them more offensive options. They have some veterans off the bench too.Arguably Gilbert Arenas, Mickael Pietrus and Rashard Lewis give the Heat the best bench they've had in the last five or so seasons.

The Knicks went all out to win a championship this season by acquiring stars Ben Gordon and Tony Parker right before the trade deadline.They have one of the most potent line-ups in the league. Stoudemire, Anthony and Gordon are all capable of scoring 30+ points a night.Randolph and Stoudemire regularly pull in 25-30 rebounds between them per game and Parker is a wonderful conductor of their offense.Parker of course has experience in winning titles having won 3 rings during his time in San Antonio. He gives his team confidence to win.Trading for several star players in recent seasons has had a negative effect on their bench though. It's mainly made up of young rookies.This means that there is a lot of pressure on the starters and that if any of them get into foul trouble early, they could be in big trouble.

Andrew wrote:Durant comes through again. Certainly looks like Thunder/Heat is going to happen for the fifth year in a row.

I would agree with you, but I wouldn't have predicted the Jazz sweeping two very good teams and making it this far. If I do win this series I don't have a problem facing either the Heat or Knicks. In fact I'd probably say the Knicks would be better as they have no bench at all.

Oklahoma City are only three wins away from a fifth straight appearance in the NBA finals, but not everything is looking so positive right now.Although the players are only focused on facing Utah in the conference finals, GM Sam Presti will have one eye on the upcoming off-season.Two of his trio of superstars are coming out of contract. Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose have yet to commit their futures to the Thunder.Despite the mega salaries the pair will no doubt command, the cost of losing them would have a much greater impact, on and off the court.The trio of Durant, Rose and Griffin eat up $42m of the Thunder's wage bill this season and that number will only increase if they are re-signed.Durant could be earning as much as $20m per season if he stays in Oklahoma City, whilst Rose could be looking at a $15m per season contract.Apart from their basketball contributions, the pair also ensure that the Thunder's merchandise revenue continues to be extremely healthy.

The Thunder are owned by Professional Basketball Club LLC, which is an investment group of locally based billionaires and multi-millionaires.Group leader Clay Bennett has indicated that they are willing to spend up to $85m on wages as long as the team continues it's winning ways.It seems they intend to follow the model that Miami used by securing their stars to big deals and filling out the roster with veterans and rookies.The wage bill this season is right below the magic $85m mark. Perhaps James Harden or Roy Hibbert could be seen as unaffordable luxuries.Either could be traded for draft picks or rookies to ease cap pressure. It would hurt to lose either of them, but in the long run it is necessary.They may decide to bite the bullet and dump the salaries of Hibbert, Beasley or Maynor on draft night to help with their wage situation.

If Durant and Rose left town, Harden and Griffin would go from third and fourth options to first and second. Could they improve their output?If those two leave then the Thunder would be left with a probable starting line-up of Hibbert, Griffin, Michael Beasley, Harden and Eric Maynor.It's a line-up that would still be capable of playoff basketball, but would surely be unable to repeat the dominant form of the current team.Hometown hero Griffin is in for the long haul with the Thunder though. He signed a mega six-year $68m deal at the beginning of last season.The deal is already looking to be a bargain though. Griffin has already won two rings, a finals MVP award and was selected for an all-star game.He is a massive hit with the fans. The deal to acquire him from the Clippers has turned out to be an amazing financial and basketball success.

ESPN FREE AGENTS ANALYSIS

90%+ likely to be re-signedKevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Rolf Young

Re-signing Durant is top priority for the Thunder during the off-season. He is the heart and soul of the team and the cornerstone of the franchise.He is simply one of the best players in the league and basically irreplaceable. Probably the best scorer in the league and an efficient defender.As evidence of this he was named both scoring champion and defensive player of the year this season, the second time he's managed that feat.He has been the one constant during all four of the Thunder's championships. Team mates have come and gone but he has been there each time.His achievements at just 25 are incredible; 1x regular season MVP , 3x finals MVP, 2x scoring champion, 4x DPOTY, 5x all-star and 3x all-star MVP.

Rose is regularly and rightfully rated amongst the elite point guards in the league like Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo and Russell Westbrook.This season he managed forty double-double games including six games of 20+ assists. He even broke Scott Skiles' assist record with 31 in a game.He led the league in assists for the first time in his career. It seems like he's really found his groove in Oklahoma City alongside Durant and Griffin.It's believed that the Thunder management's objective is to secure Rose and Durant before making any offers to their other out of contract players.In the event that Rose decides to move on then Jeremy Lin may be in the perfect position to take over the keys to the best offense in the league.

Rolf Young's story is one of the best in the NBA. Plucked from the streets of the Norwegian capital and persuaded to nominate for the NBA draft.He got the shock of his life when the Thunder, fresh off completing a three-peat of titles, selected him with pick 44 of the 2012 national draft.It's proved to be a real diamond in the rough find by Sam Presti. The 24 year old Norwegian is already drawing comparisons to Carmelo Anthony.The difference is that Young is as near as makes no difference seven feet tall. His game is still raw but he's learning from the best in the league.Durant decided to take Young under his wing and help him settle in with the team. Two years later and Durant now even speaks some Norwegian.Young has had some brilliant games off the bench for the Thunder. Reaching 40 points once, 30 points ten times and 20 points seventeen times.His inconsistent playing time behind Durant has effected his form though and he's only averaged nine points per game during his Thunder career.The big occasions don't really seem to both him though. He has been voted the Rookie-Sophomore game MVP in both of the past two seasons.He is a favourite of Presti's and seemingly guaranteed an extension offer. But things may still depend on what happens with Durant's situation.

50/50 to be re-signedJeremy Lin, Nick Collison, Kevin Seraphin

Lin's situation is a puzzling one. He could be a starter for several teams in the league, but finds himself as the Thunder's third option point guard.Coach Scott Brooks seems to favour Eric Maynor as Rose's backup. The fact that Rose plays the majority of most games doesn't help much either.Lin may ask the Thunder to arrange a sign-and-trade deal so that he can get regular basketball. He is apparently really frustrated with his minutes.His popularity amongst NBA fans in China hasn't really been exploited up to this point, but it could be a big new revenue source for the Thunder.Would it be worth paying him millions of dollars to be third choice though? Perhaps if Rose leaves or Maynor gets traded it would make more sense.

Collison has never been a star player for the Thunder, but the fact that he is a hard worker and leads by example may earn him another extension.He is also a fan favourite and gets Chesapeake Arena rocking with his selflessness on the court in taking charges and setting up team mates.As a backup option he is a cheap and experienced. He may be asked to take on a mentoring role for Howie Jeffries to help him develop further.

Seraphin is similar to Lin in that he has shown promise when he has had some playing time, but those occasions have been few and far between.He's looked very comfortable playing alongside stars like Durant and Rose. His future with the team may ultimately depend on his contract demands.

Unlikely to be re-signedRon Artest, Kyle Korver

These two veterans were brought in to sure up the Thunder's defense and offense respectively. But neither has managed to get many minutes.Artest's main role is coming off the bench to defend players when Durant is in danger of getting into foul trouble. Sadly for him it is a rare thing.

Korver on the other hand has been used as a quick scoring option off the bench. The same role that Shannon Brown performed so well in the past.Given their ages and their lack of involvement with the team, these two are more than likely going to be looking for a new team next season.

Definitely an interesting challenge to impose upon yourself, injecting some realism to boot. I'm confident that you'll win number five, but I'm certainly interested to see what you end up doing in the offseason.

^ That's the plan, but to be honest Utah could have won both of these games. They were leading at the start of the fourth quarter in both games and both ended with the fouling/free throws routine that the AI seems to love.

Yeah. They generally hang in there during the first half and go on a big third quarter run. It's left me chasing the game in the last quarter in both games. The scores are deceiving because of the AI fouling logic at the end of games which they love so much.

Well I was up by about 20 points before I put my reserves into the game for most of the last quarter. Utah managed to get within 6 points late on but I escaped with the win and now I only need one more.

Oklahoma City and Miami will meet in the NBA Finals once again. It's the 21st century equivalent of the Lakers-Celtics rivarly of the 60's and 80's.Interestingly it's the first time in the history of the league that the same two teams have faced each other in five consecutive finals series'.The Heat are still looking to win their first title but are better placed than ever before this season. They have home court advantage this time.Two of the in-form players in the league will face off. Chris Bosh was voted the MVP this season, whilst Kevin Durant was the scoring champion.Many experts feel that Durant was actually robbed of the MVP award, considering that he led the league in points and steals by some margin.His scoring was incredible. He managed a career-high 82 against the Kings. He actually scored 134 points in just three days in Sacramento.He reached the 50 point mark 5 times, 40 points (x19) and 30 points (x34). He finished nearly 3ppg ahead of second placed Deron Williams.But apparently Bosh's rebounding numbers and the fact that the Heat finished with the best record in the league swayed the judges votes.If Oklahoma City are able to win a fifth title, Durant will equal the likes of Magic Johnson, Steve Kerr and Dennis Rodman with five rings.

Andrew wrote:If this is it for this Dynasty, hopefully it's a memorable Finals. In any case, the thread gets my vote for the Hall of Fame.

It probably is it. It was a little bit hard to get back into this for that first game after playing 2k13, but it turned out to be a thrilling game and that helped. I've had a great run with this and I'll definitely make sure I have the save game stored somewhere safe so I can pick it up sometime in the future maybe.

I've already got a team picked out for 2k13. Pretty much the complete opposite of where my Thunder team is at. A nice challenge. I won't start anything until this series is over though.

It's crazy to me that between my two dynasty threads I've had 3k+ replies and 76k views (half are probably just mine though )

hova- wrote:Would be nice to see you doing a 2k13 story. Honestly, the only thing that kind of kept me away from following this one is that it's a live story.

Fair enough I guess. I haven't really checked out that many 2k associations either. It's easy to get caught up in your own thing and not notice all of the interesting threads here. I'm impressed by 2k13 so far and can't wait to start an association game.

First clue for anyone who feels like guessing which team I picked to use on 2k13: It's not a team from the western conference.

Kevin Durant is probably the calmest person in Oklahoma City at the moment, despite his team being tied 2-2 in the NBA finals against Miami.The superstar forward has been head-and-shoulders above the rest in the finals so far. He's averaging 38 points per game without much trouble.Regardless of the result, Durant can be found after just about any Thunder game talking about the need to keep working and getting better.It was his approach when the Thunder started 3-29. It's the same now that the team are on the brink of a fifth championship, just six years later.He has never been about glitz and glamour. His winning combination has been his humility, hard work and his determination to improve his team.The Thunder only need two more wins to secure their fifth championship in as many years and cement Durant's place as one of the games legends.

His relentless pursuit to better himself has been a massive part in creating a dynasty that is equivalent to the 50's Lakers, 60's Celtics and 90's Bulls."There's always another level you can go to. In basketball, you always can be better at something, I think," Durant said after Oklahoma City's practice."All of the awards and titles I've won aren't the reason I play ball. Once I've finished playing I'll definitely look back at these achievements with pride."Durant also gave Thunder fans some reason to be positive about his future in Oklahoma City, stating his admiration for his adopted hometown."The city is just so laid-back and quiet, and that's the type of person I am, and it fits me really well. It's just a nice place to relax, and I enjoy it."The Thunder host the Heat in game 5 of the NBA finals tomorrow night. They will be hoping for a win as games 6 & 7 will be played in Miami.